As for constructions for automobiles that relate a seat device and a car body to each other, the following one has been previously proposed.
A car body has a car interior floor constituting the lower portion thereof, and a pair of lateral walls extending upward from the sides of the car interior floor and constituting the sides of the car body. Front and rear seat devices are installed in the car interior surrounded by said car interior floor and said opposite lateral walls. The front seat device comprises a driver's seat and an assistant driver's seat that are disposed side by side as seen widthwise of the car body, said driver's seat being supported so that it can be moved with respect to the car interior floor lengthwise of the car body.
Of the opposite lateral walls, the one on the side of the driver's seat is formed with a driver's door opening adjacent the driver's seat as seen widthwise of the car body, while the lateral wall on the side of the assistant driver's seat is formed with an assistant driver's door opening adjacent the assistant driver's seat as seen widthwise of the car body. A steering shaft is installed that extends rearwardly upward from below the front region of the driver's seat toward the driver's seat, with a steering wheel mounted on the projecting end of said steering shaft.
The opposite lateral walls are each provided with a rear door opening adjacent the rear seat device as seen widthwise of the car body, and front and rear doors are installed to open and close these door openings.
The driver is allowed to get in and out of the car through said driver's door opening, and when he gets in the car and sits on the driver's seat, he can handle the steering wheel. By handling the steering wheel, he can drive the car.
In this connection, the prior art described above has the following problem.
For example, when the driver is trying to put baggage, or to sit a child, on said rear seat device from a place outside the car outwardly laterally of said driver's seat (which work will be hereinafter referred to as "work on the rear seat device"), first he opens the rear door opening through manipulation directed to the rear door and does "work on the rear seat device," whereupon he again closes said rear door opening through manipulation directed to the rear door and then he opens the driver's door opening through manipulation directed to the front door to get in the car and he sits on the driver's seat, whereupon he again closes the driver's door opening through manipulation directed to the front door.
However, as described above, in order for the driver to do "work on the rear seat device," he has to perform manipulation directed to the front door for opening/closing the driver's door opening, and get in the car through the driver's door opening and besides these, he has to perform manipulation directed to the rear door for opening/closing the rear door opening; thus, "work on the rear seat device" is troublesome to the driver.
Accordingly, it will be contemplated to do "work on the rear seat device" through the driver's door opening alone without performing manipulation directed to the rear door.
However, the driver's door opening adjoins the driver's seat as seen widthwise of the car body and the area of the driver's door opening is small; thus, "work on the rear seat device" would still be troublesome.
On the other hand, it will also be contemplated to form said driver's door opening in such a manner as to increase its area so that getting in and out of the car and "work on the rear seat device" may be easily attained through this driver's door opening.
If, however, the driver's door opening is formed simply to increase its area, the strength of the lateral wall on the side of the driver's seat tends to be lower than that of the lateral wall on the side of the assistant driver's seat, resulting in making the opposite lateral walls unequal in strength, which is undesirable from the standpoint of the strength of the car body.
Further, if the seatback of the driver's seat is turned forwardly downward to assume a forwardly inclined position and if this driver's seat is forwardly moved over a substantial distance, then it is expected that the situation of the rear side of the driver's door opening being adjacent the driver's seat is eliminated, thus increasing the substantial opening area of the rear region of the driver's door opening; thus, it will be thought that such arrangement facilitates "work on the rear seat device."
However, in the above case, simply inclining the seatback forwardly downward and moving the driver's seat forwardly over a substantial distance could result in the seatback of the driver's seat accidentally colliding with the steering wheel, imposing an unnecessary external force on the steering wheel.
Therefore, the operation of forwardly inclining the seatback with respect to the driver's seat and forwardly moving the latter should be performed with attention paid to the installed position of the steering wheel. Thus, it is not easy to smooth "work on the rear seat device."